Spark-plug.



J. 1. SMITH, 1R

SPARK PLUG.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, I915.

WITNESSES: k l/WE/L'TOR v Q W36 7a 70 mm mfibfi X P BWZWMM; 6. I i 7 v i ATTORNEYS JOSEPH JOHN SMITH, JR., 0]? BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN.

, SPARK-PLUG.

wearer.

Application filed lfl'ovember 13, 1915. Serial No. 61,322.

To all whom. 1'2 may concern.

Be it known that I, JosEri-r .loitN Snrrn, Jr.. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Benton Harbor, in. the county of Berrien and State of ivlichigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Spark-Plugs, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to improvements in spark plugs, and consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide means whereby the terminals of the spark plug may be made self-cleaning.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the class described, in. which the terminals are provided with movable parts which are actuated both by the motion of the engine and also by the force of explosion, the motion of these parts serving to keep the terminals clean.

A further object of my inventinn is to provide a device of the type described, in

which the movable parts are made and therefore cost but little to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the in ention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, and in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the device, Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail view through the movable cleaning member, Fig. 3 is an end view of the parts shown in Fig. l, Fig. i is a section on the line 4-4: of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is an end view showing the movable parts in a shifted position.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a spark plug of any ordinary shape. Such a spark plug is shown at 1. It 1s provided with a threaded reduced portion 2,

arranged to enter the cylinder 3 of an internal combustion engine.

At t I have shown a terminal which extends from the central portion of the plug, and at 5 I have shown a terminal which is designed, to la :onnected with the outer portion of the plug. '1 he invention in this instance consists in the provision of a movable in -amber on a terminal, such as the terminal 3-, so to keep the latter clean. As

very simply will be seen from Fig. 2, the terminal 4 is provided with a reduced portion i which connects the body portion of the terminal with a head at. Thishead forms the surface between which and a similar'head on the other terminal the sparks pass. Suspended from the body portion of the terminal 4 is a weight 6, this weight being provided with an opening 6 through which the terminal extends, as shown in Fig. 2. The member 6 is freely movable on the portion of the terminal& upon which it rests, so as to swing back and forth in the motion of the engine, or under the action of the force of the explosion.

At 7 I have shown a U-shaped member which is secured to the member 6, the central portion of this member 7 engaging the outer surface of the head i. A spring 8 is disposed between the head 4 and the weight to permit the passage of the reduced portion 4 of the terminal, and also being slotted at its ends as shown at 8 to straddle the arms of the U-shaped member 7 From the foregoing description of the va 'rious parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood.

The vibration of the engine will cause the member 6 to rock back and forth in a manner shown in Fig. 5. The spring 8 tends to press the member 6 farther on the body portion of the terminal 4, but this, of course, draws the scraper 7 down upon the surface of the head -'l" and the oscillating movement will therefore scrape the head and keep it clean. It will be noted that the weight 6 is not evenly disposed with respect to the terminal 4 upon which it is suspended. It is for this reason that the motion. of the car or engine, or the force of the explosion, can operate the device, so as to perform the cleaning operation in the manner described.

I claim 1. In a spark plug construction, a pair of opposed terminals, the end portions of the terminals being bent into a horizontal plane, and each end portion terminating in a head having a vertical face, the vertical faces of said opposed heads constituting the sparking surface, means for automatically cleaning said vertically disposed faces, said means comprising a rocking member pivotally suspended on the horizontal portiono-f each terminal, and a U-shaped scraper conthis spring being provided with a hole S nected with said rocking member and arranged to engage the vertical surface of its associated terminal.

2. In a spark plug construction, a' pair of opposed terminals, the end portions of the terminals being bent into a horizontal plane,

and each end portion terminating in a head' having a vertical face, the vertical faces of said opposed heads constituting the sparking surface, means for automatically clean ing said vertically disposed faces, said means comprising a rocking member pivot- .ally suspended on the horizontal portion of 'each terminaha U-shaped scraper connected with said rocking member and arranged to engage the vertical surface of its associated terminal, and means for holding said scraper into engagement with the sparking surface of the head.

3. In a sparkplug construction, a pair of opposed terminals, said terminals having end portions bent into a horizontal plane, and each of said terminals being provided with a head having a sparking surface disposed in a vertical plane, a weight-pivotally having a horizontal portion, a sparking head carried by each of said terminals, said sparking head having a vertical sparking 'face, a

pivoted rocking member carried by each of said terminals, a U-shaped scraper connected with each of said rocking members and arranged to engage the sparking surface of its individual sparking head, and a spring for forcing said scraper against the surface of its associated sparking head.

JOSEPH JOHN SMITH, JR, Witnesses:

WILLIAM S. KNISELY, WILLIAM F. HOLDER.

Goplen or this patent may be obtained tor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 13.0." 

